Hat blocking machine



July 7, 1931. P. DE slMoNE HAT BLOCKING MACHINE 3 Sheecs-Shee'cl 1 Filed Aug. Q 1929 13375K 0E JlMa/VE ATTORNEY July 7, 1931. P. DE slMoNE HAT BLocKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 9, 1929 INVENTOR W ATTORNEY July 7, 1931. P'. DE SIMONE 1,813,795

HAT BLOCKING MACHINE Filed Aug- 9, 1929 3 Shee'cs-Shee'l',` 3

73: -Zini 10127512 fn Wan/E.

INVENTOR www l i j ,mommy Patented July 7, 1931 PATENT orties PETER DE SIMONE, F BROOKLYN, NE'WYORK` HAT BLOCKING MACHINE Application filed August 9, 1929. Serial No. 384,535.

My invention relates to hat blocking machines and more particularly aims to provide a novel and improved machine for centering the hat, clamping and stretching the brim, andshaping and blocking the crown.

The principal objects of my improvements are, first, to provide means for facilitating rapid-centering of the hat; second, to provide `eiiicient clamping means for the hat covering a large portion of its brim, while preventing localized strains therein; third, to provide easily operable means for. sha-ping and blocking the crown; fourth, to provide simple means for stretching the brim evenly over its entire surface; and fifth, to incorpo'- rate all the foregoing in such combination that the machine as a whole shall be cheap to manufacture and easy and rapid to operate.

l/Vith these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certa-in novel construction and combinations and arrangements of p arts, the essential features of which are here- .inafter fully described and are particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The preferred attainment of these vario-us objects embodies a machine including among other things, a top plate supporting a centrally located well, which well contains a steam chest circumferentially enclosing a vertically operating member carrying the hat-block. rlhe top plate is also provided with a plurality of radial slots acting as guides for sets of slidable clamps, said clamps adapted for gripping the hat brim and also adapted for outward sliding movements away from the central hat-block, for stretching the brim. There are also included actuators, as hand levers, and appropriate con- 0 necting linkage, for operating the brim gripping and stretching clamps, and a foot treadle, for operating the vertically moving hat-block.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of such embodiment, partly in section;

Figure 2 is a top plan view, with the steam cover swung to the right;

Figure 3 is an -enlarged vertical sectional 59 view, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 with the steam cover swung to operative position over Ythe hat block;

n Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 3, showing particularly details of the brim clamp closing linkage;

Figure 5 is a similar view, taken on Vthe line 5-5 of Figure 3, showing particularly details of the stretcher linkage for sliding the'brim clamps toward oraway from. the center off` the machine; l y

Figure 6 is a. fragmentary perspective view of certain parts shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 for4 making clearer the connections of both the brim clamp linkage and the stretcher link;

age; and

Figure 7 is a` detail sectional view, greatly enlarged, taken on the line 7-.7 of Figure 5.

' Similar reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views. Y

Referring now to the drawings inv detail:

A top plate l, having a central well 3 is secured to supporting corner legs 2.

Located within the well 3 is a steamchest 4, having a steam inlet pipe 5 and steam vents 6. This pipe 5 as shown in Figure 3, desirably has interposed'therein avalve 5a; thepipe 5 (compare Fig. l) leading to theA interior of steam chest 4 by suitable connections including an elbow 50. To the stem of the valve 5al is connected'an actuator 5b which may for conveniencebe prolonged far enough tothe right in Figure 3 to project beyond he front of the machine and'be accessible to the operator handling the ractuators l1, 37 and 42 hereinafter described.

rlhe inner wall of the steam chest is preferably oval shaped, similar to the band section of a hat, and acts as the top guide member for a vertically operating hat block support 7-upon which rests a removable hatblock A,.located by the usual dowel pins as shown.

' The hat-block A may be of the flat bottom type, in which caseV it would rest directly upon the support 7, or it may be ofthe concave bottom type, in which latter case, a filler piece, substantially as shown on the support at B, may be used.`

Rigidly fixed tothefhatLblock-support 7 1s a tubular lift rod 8 sleeving a bottom rodguide 9, shown fixed to the floor upon which the machine rests. Also fixed to the floor is a treadle bearing 10 acting as a fulcrum for a treadle 11, which latter pivots at its rear end a connecting` link 12, this link at its other end being connected to a collar 13 adjustable on the lift rod 8 by means of a set-screw 14.

Mounted above the steam chest 4 is a steam cover 15, connected to top plate 1 by means of a universal joint 16, thus permitting such chest to be lifted and then swung to either side. Connected to said cover by a nipple 15a, is a flexible tube 15b, to supply the interior of the cover with heating steam from a suitable source.

Formed in the top plate are a plurality of slotted openings 17 (eight in the embodiment shown) each acting as a guide for a sliding yoke 18 (see Fig. 6), which yokes carry, as best shown in Figure 3, upper and lower retaining plates 19 and 20, this construction thus permitting only inward and outward sliding movements of the yokes. Each upper retaining plate 19 at its outer end carries a pair of upstanding ears between which is pivoted a top brim clamp 21. These clamps 21 have their jaw portions 22 preferably of greater lateral width. than the main body or shank portions to more completely cover the hat brim. Each bottom brim clamp 23, of corresponding width, is rigidly secured to its sliding yoke 18, the opposed jaws being normally separated by the compression spring Fixed to the top of each alternate sliding yoke is a flexible metallic member 25 having downturned ears 26 at each end, while each intermediate alternate sliding yoke has secured thereto a flexible metallic member 27 the ends of which are adapted to slip under the ears 26; thus forming a continuous flexible expanding centering compartment for rapidly centering the hat.

Thumb screws 28 passing through holes in the top brim clamps 21 are `flexibly connected at their lower ends as shown in Fig. 3 to inclined cam levers 29 whose outer ends are pivotally connected to yokes 18 at 30. Each lower retaining plate 20, as shown best in Figure 6, is considerably extended on one side to provide room for the pivot 31 for its associated clamp closing wedge 32, the lower surface of which wedge is angularly formed to fit inclined cam lever 29 and whose upper surface slides underneath lower retaining plate 20. The opposite end of each wedge 32 is pivotally connected to a link 33, best shown in Figure 4; one of these links connecting each of the wedges to an upper oscillating ring 34, mounted by means of rollers 35 for anti-friction movement around the well 3. Also connected to the' oscillating ring is a lever 36 adapted for push and pull operahandle 37.

Pivotally connected to the lower arm of each sliding yoke 18 (see Figures 3, 5, 6 and 7) is a curved link 38 which connects each yoke to a lower oscillating ring 39 mountedby means of rollers 40 for anti-friction movement around the well 3. Formed integrally with the upper and lower flanges of this ring is a handle member 41, best shown in Figures 5 and 7, adapted for rotation about the central axis of the machine by means of a brim stretcher operating handle 42.

rlhe operation of the machine is as follows:

rlhe hat is placed in the previously properly adjusted centering compartment, with the hat brim inserted between opposed clamping jaws 22 and 23 as shown at X in Figure 3, and t-he brim clamp operating handle 37 pushed in. By means of ring 34, links 33 and wedges 32 are caused to take the position shown by the full lines of Figure 4, and wedges 32 depress cam levers 29 thus causing jaws 22 to clamp the hat brim between it and the relatively stationary jaw 23. The brim stretcher operating handle 42 is then rotated to the right, as shown by the full lines of Figure 5, and by means of the ring 39 and links 38, the yokes 18 carrying the brim clamps are forced outward a uniform distance thus subjecting the brim to a uniform stretch of any desired amount.

Foot treadle 11 is then depressed raising thehat-block into the crown of the hat the desired amount. The hat may be banded by means of a banding shell which if desired may be supported from the steam cover 15 (or a string not shown, may be tied around the hat at the band section, as is usually done in reshaping a hat). t the proper time in the sequence of operations, steam may be admitted and will be discharged evenly over the hat by means of the numerous vents in the steami chest.

l/Vhen the various opera-tions of stretching the brim, banding, blocking the crown, steaming, etc., are completed, the brim clamping jaws are released and the hat, together with the hat-block, are removed from the machine. quired), and another hat, are then placed in the machine, and the operation repeated.

flbviously, the hereinbefore described construction admits of considerable modifications without depart-ing from the invention; therefore, l do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangements shown and described, which are by way of illustration of a preferred way of carrying out the invention, merely.

lVhat is claimed as new is:

1. ln a hat blocking machine, in combination, a hat-block, brim stretching means, and a sectional flexible expanding device for cen- Another hat-block (if reu tering the hat carried by said brim stretching means. Y

2. In a hat blocking machine, in combination, a vertically operating hat-block, brim clamping jaws adapted for outward movement for stretching purposes, and interconnected iexible members carried by the clamping jaws and forming an expanding and contracting centering ring.

3. In a hat blocking machine, in` combination, a hat-block, sectional eXpansible centering means for a hat, and a. plurality of circumferentially spaced brim clamping elements adapted for stretching the brim of the hat when irmly clamped thereto, said clamping elements being arranged to provide almost a full contact with the annu-.lus of the hat brim, said centering means engaging t-he hat outwardly of the fields of gripping operations of the clamping elements.

4. In a hat blocking machine, in combination, eXpansible centering means, a vertically operating hat-block, brim clamps, and means for moving the brim clamps toward or away from the hat-block, said centering means engaging the hat outwardly of the lields of gripping operations or the. clamping elements.

5. The combination of a vertically movable support, a steam chest around the support, a steam inlet and steam vents in said chest, a plurality or relatively wide. j awed clamps radially movable in paths spaced about said support, means for moving said support vertically, means for closing all of said clam is simultaneously to engage the hat between the inner and outer peripheries of the brim, and means for simultaneously moving all or the clamps radially with respect to the support, and sectional expansible means for center ino the hat by engaging the outer periphery of the brim.

6. rIhe combination of a top plate having a central opening and a plurality of radial slots therein, leg supports for the top plate, a central circular well rigidly secured to the top plate, an annular steam chest located in said central opening and supported by said well and having a steam inlet and a plurality of steam vents, a vertically movable support within the annular steam chest, a pair of jaw clamps in each of said radial slots, means for moving said movable support vertically, means for simultaneously closing all of said jaw clamps to engage the hat between the inner and outer peripheries of the brim, and means for simultaneously bodily moving said jaw clamps in said radial slots, and sectional expansible means for centering the hat by engaging the outer periphery of the brim.

7. In a hat blocking machine, in combination, a vertically movable hat-block, a plurality of brim clamps carrying interconnected sectional expanding centering means, a steam supply means, a foot treadle and associated linkage for operating the hat-block, a hand lever and associated linkage for closing the brim` clamps, and a second hand lever and associated linkage for sliding the brim clamps toward or away from the hat-block.

8. A clamping mechanism comprising a plate having a plurality of slots converging toward a common center, a sliding member in each of said slots, each said sliding member carrying a pair of clamping jaws, one of which is movable with respect to the other, spring means for opening said jaws, a cam link operable substantially parallel to the movable jaw and operably connected thereto, an adjustable link included in the connection last mentioned and a wedge link for forcing the cam link downward and thereby closing the clamping jaws.

9. The combination defined in claimv 8, wherein means are included for simultaneously operating all of the wedge links.

l0. A clamping and stretching mechanism comprising a support having a plurality of slots converging toward a common center, a sliding member in each of said slots, each said sliding member carrying a pair of relatively movable clamping aws, spring means for opening said jaws, cam devices, an adjustable link connecting each movable jaw and each cam device, a wedge link for forcing each cam device downward and thereby closing the associated clamping jaw, means for simultaneously operating all oi the wedge links, and means for divergingly sliding all of the sliding members simultaneously for the stretching action.

1l. In a hat blocking machine, a support having a central opening and a plurality of slots converging toward the center, a tubular housing below said opening, an annular steam chest located in said opening and supported in said housing and having a steam inlet and a plurality of steam vents, a vertically movable support within the annular steam chest, a sliding member in each of said slots, each sliding member carrying a pair or clamping jaws, one of which is movable with respect to the other, means for opening said jaws, a cam link substantially parallel to the movable jaw, an adjustable link between said movable jaw and said cam link, a wedge link for actuating said cam link, said adjustable link and said movable aw downward, means for operating the vertically movable support, means for simultaneously operating all of the wedge links, and means for simultaneously operating all of the sliding members.

In testimony whereof I hereby ax my signature.

PETER DE SIMONE. 

